


who heals the healer

by EntameWitchLulu



Series: Femslash February 2021 [11]
Category: Avalon: Web of Magic - Rachel Roberts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29852100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EntameWitchLulu/pseuds/EntameWitchLulu
Summary: Emily's always been there for them. But the one time she needed them, they failed her.Is there a way for Kara and Adriane to bring back their friend, or is she lost to them forever?[alternate take on a scene from Full Circle]
Relationships: Adriane Charday/Kara Davies/Emily Fletcher
Series: Femslash February 2021 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139543
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	who heals the healer

For a moment, Kara couldn’t breathe. Then the world popped back into focus, and air rushed into her lungs. She hit the ground hands and knees first, coughing wildly.

_ “Kara, are you all right?”  _ Lyra asked worriedly. The big cat pressed her body against her, one of her shimmering wings lowered over her back.

“I’m — okay,” Kara coughed again. “Ugh, but look, I stained my jeans!”

She sat back, glowering at the mud and dirt that had gotten into the knees of her designer jeans. Lyra made a soothing, understanding purr. Looking at her jeans, though, was more distraction than anything. Even  _ Kara _ couldn’t be upset about ruining her expensive pants right now. Not after what had just happened.

“You all right, Barbie?” 

Adriane appeared, holding out a hand. Kara managed a grim smile, taking the hand and letting Adriane help her to her feet.

“Still alive, Xena,” she quipped, but her eyes were already scanning the grove, searching for her. “Where’s...”

Her eyes fell on her.

Emily stood in the midst of the unicorns, who pawed nervously at the earth, tossing their heads as the sun glittered through their horns. The unicorns looked...wrong. Wisps of poisonous green magic floated off their bodies like steam, and their horns, all to a one, had turned an ugly red color, like dried blood. Their eyes were blank, and when they milled about, they looked somehow as though they were moving on rails, like robots rather than the vibrant, living creatures full of life and happiness and magic that Kara had once known them as.

Worse, though, was Emily. She stood stock still, staring at nothing. She, too, seemed somehow draped with a veil of thin, poison-green magic, that if Kara tried too hard to focus on, she wouldn’t see. There were flecks of red in the light glinting off her hazel eyes, and her gem...the normally bright blue-green gem around her wrist had dulled.

Adriane followed Kara’s gaze, and from the look in her eyes, she, too, had been trying not to think about it, at least until they got here. But now she couldn’t seem to take her eyes away from Emily, except to briefly meet Kara’s gaze.

“You guys are back!”

Kara tore her eyes away from Emily to turn back around. The glade was a mass of animals, all clustered together — that’s right, she remembered vaguely. They’d told the residents of Ravenswood to hide out in the glade until they got back. Kara had imagined a more triumphant return — Avalon reopened, the magic once again flowing across the web, and the mages finally having completed the prophecy.

“You found the unicorns!” the voice said again, and then Tasha popped out of the milling crowd of magical animals. The goblin girl fixed her glasses as she rushed over. “What happened? Why aren’t you all in Avalon?”

“We weren’t fast enough,” Kara said.

Lorren was hot on Tasha’s heels, and he looked questioningly at her, his mouth half open. But even seen Lorren couldn’t make Kara feel better right now. She turned back towards Emily.

“Not fast enough? What do you mean, not fast enough?”

“The Dark Sorceress got past us. She walked right into Avalon once we opened the gates,” Adriane said, clenching her jaw.

“WHAT??”

Kara stared at Emily, and then looked to the nearest unicorn. She recognized them — Calliope. 

“Hey, Cally?” she said tentatively. “You remember me, right?”

She tried to reach out and touch the baby unicorn, but Calliope didn’t even look at her. She stared right through her as though she weren’t there, and when Kara laid her hand on the unicorn’s head, her gem sparked like static. Her hand flinched back as the wild magic stung her, and she gripped at her unicorn gem, stomach twisting. If the unicorns were like this then...

“Healer! One of the mistwolves was injured!”

A quiffle tried to wave Emily down, to one of the mistwolves who seemed to have taken a hit to the leg during that last scuffled before they’d managed to flee to Ravenswood. Emily looked towards the motion. But her face didn’t change. She stared at the injured mistwolf as though it were an uninteresting stone. Kara felt her heart tighten up in her chest and choke her. That was  _ wrong _ . Emily wasn’t supposed to look like that. Emily was supposed to immediately snap into healer-mode, get all cool and stoic as she quickly organized everyone to help her sort through who was the most injured so she could get to them first. She wasn’t supposed to stare blankly, almost darkly at the injured, as though they meant nothing to her.

Kara swallowed, and she stepped around the unicorns.

“Hey, Em?” she said. “Emily? You in there?”

Emily looked at her, but it was more in response to her motion than anything else. Behind her, she heard Adriane trying to explain to Tasha what had happened. How they’d tried to use the power crystals to open Avalon. How the Spider Witch had suddenly twisted the magic and cursed the unicorns. How the Dark Sorceress had swooped in with her magic eating familiars and set upon the unicorns, in order to pass into Avalon herself. Was Adriane also telling them about how she and Kara had been at each other’s throats, convinced that the other was going to fulfill the prophecy of becoming the dark mage?

And they’d been so busy suspecting each other that they hadn’t even looked at Emily. Emily, who had always been there for them. Emily, who had never said no when someone needed her.

Emily, who had needed them the most, and they hadn’t been paying attention.

“Hey, Emily,” Kara said, her throat tight. “It’s me, Kara.”

She still didn’t know what had happened. It had all been such a mess. Magic flying everywhere. Struggling and fighting with Adriane. The gates opening, the monsters swirling — she’d lost sight of Emily. One second, Emily was there, the same person as always, smiling and trying to mediate and trying to be the bridge for all of them. The next moment, her face was stony, and her eyes were dark, and she looked at Kara like she’d never seen her before.

She felt someone come up next to her, and glanced to see Adriane. 

“Emily?” she said, and her voice was so small and scared, so unlike the tough persona she normally put on.

Emily stared at both of them, and didn’t move.

Kara shot a desperate look back at Lorren and Tasha.

“I think — I think the spell the Spider Witch used got Emily too,” she said. “How do we break it?”

Tasha fixed her glasses again, frowning. She muttered something to herself, picking up her notepad and flipping through it. Lorren sucked his teeth, eying the unicorns.

Then Kara suddenly felt a lurching feeling — like the air was being sucked out of her lungs. She gagged, and staggered. Adriane swore, grabbing Kara by the arm.

“Emily!” she shouted. “Emily, stop!!”

Kara’s gem went haywire. It was sparking and glowing, rattling at the end of its chain. Emily’s eyes glowed, her hands outstretched. Kara felt something  _ pulling  _ away from her. It was almost a bit like the feeling of letting magic flow out of her to superpower Adriane’s and Emily’s gems — but more violent. It was like the magic was being  _ ripped _ out of her.

“Emily!” Adriane shouted again. Dreamer was suddenly at her side, the mistwolf’s hackles raised and his teeth bared. Adriane swirled a lasso of golden magic around her — but she hesitated, eyes wide, as it seemed to occur to her all at once that she was about to attack  _ Emily _ .

With a great effort, Kara wrenched her magic back into herself, cutting Emily off. Emily took a staggering step back, but her face still didn’t change. Her hands were still outstretched. Her eyes flickered to the golden lasso of energy Adriane was still producing.

Her gem flared with a sickly green magic as she tried to grab hold of Adriane’s magic. Adriane fought, yanking it back from her like a game of tug of war. Dreamer growled.

“Dreamer, no, don’t!” Adriane ordered.

“She’s trying to take your magic!” Tasha cried.

Lorren grabbed for Kara’s shoulder, trying to push her back as he drew his sword. Panic spiked through Kara, and she threw her shoulder into him, throwing him back.

“No, don’t!” she cried. “That’s  _ Emily _ !”

“She’s a dark mage,” Lorren snapped. “You know what that means! You know how someone becomes a dark mage!”

_ The most forbidden of magic. To gain the power of the dark mage, you must perform the most heinous, atrocious act. _

_ Killing your bonded. _

Kara realized she hadn’t seen Ozzie anywhere. Where was that jokester ferret?? Emily hadn’t...she wouldn’t...she never would have — this was  _ Emily _ !

“I don’t care! She’s  _ Emily! _ ” Kara cried, still pushing Lorren back.

Adriane still struggled with Emily in their magical tug of war. The unicorns grew agitated. They threw their heads back, a few of them frothing as they stamped the ground. One reared, letting out a high pitched whinny, as though they were reacting to the magic struggle.

Emily was breathing hard, now, and she dug her heels in, still trying to steal Adriane’s magic.

“I need...I need magic,” she mumbled. “The web needs magic.”

“You don’t have to steal magic, Emily! You’ve never needed to steal it!” Adriane shouted.

With a massive effort, she wrenched her magic back. Emily staggered a few more steps back, her arms still hanging in the air. The unicorns all let out a discordant chorus of unharmonized notes, and Kara had to clap her hands over her ears. Tears blurred her eyes.

When the noise finally calmed down, Emily stood stock still again, staring at nothing. Her lips kept moving, and if Kara could read them right, she was still muttering about how she needed magic. It was like...it was like she’d been afflicted with this deep, debilitating magic hunger somehow. The Spider Witch’s magic had twisted her healing powers, and now she was desperate to  _ take _ rather than give. A few treacherous tears escaped Kara’s eyes. 

“This is all my fault,” she mumbled through her hands.

Adriane gave her a sharp look.

“How is it  _ your _ fault?” she snapped.

“Because I was too busy being — being a total terrible friend!” Kara said. “Emily needed us and I just didn’t even notice!”

“And what, you think that’s all on  _ you _ ? You think it’s all about  _ you _ ?” Adriane said. “I didn’t do anything either! I didn’t help her either!”

She sounded angry, and she even stalked forward to grab Kara by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. But...but she was crying. Her bottom lip was trembling and she was crying. Kara gripped her arms, but she didn’t push Adriane off. She just clung to her, and when Adriane’s head fell forward against her forehead, Kara let her stay there, as the other girl shook and cried. Kara’s tears came a lot more quietly. She was so afraid to look up and see those dead eyes in Emily’s face again.

“Emily,” she mumbled. “Emily.”

“We can’t just let her stay here,” Lorren said. “Ravenswood is a hotspot for magic. She’ll try to take that, too, and weave it into the Spider Witch’s web.”

“We can’t just leave her like this!” Kara said.

“We can’t fight her,” Adriane said, standing up and squaring her shoulders, glaring at Lorren.

Lorren tightened his lips.

“Then what do you think we should do? Just let her take all the magic and turn the entire web into the Spider Witch’s grand design?”

Kara had never been so angry with Lorren. She’d never thought she  _ could _ be so angry with Lorren. She wanted to scream. He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand. He didn’t know Emily like she did — like  _ they _ did. She felt a heat growing inside her, and the faint crackling fire of Starfire, her paladin, threatened to spill out without her permission. Before she could totally lose it, Adriane’s hand slid down into hers, and gripped it. Her hand was a little sweaty, but her grip was strong, and grounding. Kara took a deep breath.

“Emily’s got to still be in there,” she said, keeping her voice steady. “We can get her back.”

“No dark mage has ever ‘come back’,” Tasha said, frowning. “I mean...not that we know of. There haven’t been many.”

“Emily  _ will  _ come back,” Adriane said. “I know she will.”

Lorren looked hard at both of them. He looked toward Emily. He clenched his jaw.

Then, finally, slowly, he put his sword back into his scabbard.

“Then try,” he said, softly.

Kara squeezed Adriane’s hand, relief flooding through her. She couldn’t speak, she could only nod. Together, Adriane and Kara turned to face Emily again.

Emily had turned away, wandering to the edge of the glade to stare into the forest. Did she remember this place? Was there anything of Emily left, or was whatever piloted her body just a mass of hungry dark magic? Had she really...killed Ozzie to become the dark mage?

Those questions weren’t important right now. They couldn’t be. Right now, all that mattered was getting their friend back. Still holding hands, as though taking strength from each other, Kara and Adriane walked towards Emily.

Emily didn’t look at them this time. She was busy staring into the forest.

“Emily,” Adriane said, softly.

“Hey, Emily,” Kara said. “You want to talk?”

Emily didn’t respond. Kara and Adriane exchanged a look. Kara had said they’d bring her back, but...how? How would they find what was left of Emily? Kara swallowed. She gripped her unicorn gem with her free hand, and felt the fiery magic warm her palm.

“Emily, you know, I...you’re one of the greatest people I know,” she said, and it sounded lame, even to her. “I was...like, totally not...I wasn’t the greatest. But you were always so nice to me anyway. And you made me realize that I could be better.”

She bit her lip, wondering if any of this was getting through to her. Adriane squeezed her hand.

“I didn’t think I needed anyone,” Adriane said quietly. “I thought I was better off all by myself. But Emily, you...you made me realize that being with other people is actually...really good.”

Emily didn’t seem to be listening. She stared at the woods. Dimly, Kara saw her lifting up one hand, and the dull magic in her gem starting to swirl. She could feel the tug of magic — not hers, this time. Her chest tightened. Lorren was right. Emily was reaching for Ravenswood’s magic. She was going to try and take it, and give it to the web — where it would be twisted and corrupted by the Spider Witch’s plan.

“You’re kind, Emily. You’re brave. You’re always trying to help everyone, be there for everyone. You’re always taking so much on yourself,” Adriane said.

“You are always giving so much,” Kara said. “You never ask for anything. You never ask for  _ enough _ .”

She tightened her grip on Adriane’s hand, and stepped forward. She reached out with her free hand, and grasped Emily’s outstretched one. She thought she saw a flicker of surprise across Emily’s face, thought she saw her lips part.

“So, I want you to ask,” Kara said. “I want you to ask us for what you need.”

Then, gently, she began to feed her magic to Emily.

Emily’s eyes widened ever so slightly, and behind them, Lorren made a strangled sound. Tasha gasped. But Adriane saw what she was doing. Still holding Kara’s hand, she reached for Emily’s other hand, turning Emily to face them. They all held hands in a circle, and Adriane’s wolf stone glowed as she, too, began to send her magic through her arm and into Emily.

“We’re here for you now,” Kara said. “We’re not leaving.”

“If you need us, we’ll pay attention this time,” Adriane said. “Whatever you need — you can take it, Emily. For once, please...let us...let  _ us _ take care of you.”

Emily’s lips were slightly open, her eyes wide. Adriane’s golden magic flowed down her arm, and up Emily’s, flooding down to the dull gemstone on her other hand. Kara’s brilliant white magic crackled like lightning down her arm, pouring into Emily. It was a lot, she realized. She was giving a lot. Adriane must be too. And Emily’s gem continued to absorb it. Were they making the wrong choice? Were they just giving the Spider Witch what she wanted?

It didn’t matter.

Only Emily mattered.

“I love you, Em,” she said. “You’re my best friend.”

“Me too,” said Adriane. “We all love you, Emily. We’re here for you.”

Behind her, Kara felt a shift. Then she felt it — the soft, gentle wash of magic from the magic animals of Ravenswood. Lyra’s warm, fiery magic. Dreamer’s cool, misty sparkle. The vibrating magic of the quiffles, and the magic of the other mistwolves. Even the unicorns, their strange, out of tune magic, was flooding through them. It was all coming to Emily.

For a moment, Emily just stared, her mouth hanging open. Then she lurched. She staggered to her knees, and Kara and Adriane came down with her, refusing to let go of her hands.

“Emily!”

“Emily, we’re here!”

Emily gasped and shuddered, her whole body heaving. She tried to let go of Kara’s and Adriane’s hands, but they wouldn’t let her. She was starting to try and twist out of their grip. Tears flooded to her eyes. Kara felt it in her chest, then — a deep, dull ache that spread through her. Adriane flinched, and Kara knew that Adriane was feeling it too.

“Emily, you have to come out,” Adriane said. “Please, I know it hurts. But this time, let us — let us help you.”

This must be what healing magic felt like, Kara thought. A terrible, aching pain washing over her as for a moment — how long? An hour? A day? A second? — she took on all of Emily’s pain, shared it with her. She nearly choked on it.

There was so much pain. So much fear, so much panic, so much  _ sadness _ . Emily was overcome by what had happened, and she’d buried herself deep inside, and she was struggling so hard not to let Kara and Adriane feel it.

“Let us share it,” Kara said. “Don’t try to keep it in yourself all alone anymore!”

“We’re not letting go,” Adriane said.

Emily let out a thin, gasping choke. Tears dribbled from her eyes to the ground.

“P...please,” she whispered. “I don’t want....I...”

Her voice was choked, rattling. Kara pulled her closer, and Adriane leaned in, so that they were all inches apart, their foreheads nearly touching. It was  _ agony _ . Kara could feel every bit of Emily’s pain rushing through her. She felt Emily’s fear and panic, the way she tried to wrench herself back from remembering how she’d gotten here. She felt Emily’s sorrow and self-loathing for how she’d — she’d ripped the magic out of Ozzie. He’d offered his magic to her, and she’d just taken it, without thinking. And now she was taking it from Adriane and Kara, too.

“It’s not your fault,” Kara said, her eyes so blurry with tears she couldn’t even see. “Emily, it’s not your fault.”

“I...I messed...I messed up,” Emily choked out. “Please I don’t...I don’t want to...”

She wanted to bury herself so badly. She didn’t want to feel. She wanted to disappear. But Kara grabbed hold of her, and Adriane got the other side. Their gold and white light pierced through the shroud that had covered Emily’s heart.

“I’m scared,” Emily mumbled, her eyes still dark and vacant, though her voice escaped her. “I...I’m scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared,” said Adriane. “Because we’re here for you.”

“And we’re not going to let you go again,” Kara said.

Emily squeezed her eyes shut, gasping for air. Her forehead fell against Adriane’s and Kara’s.

Then with a lurching, gasping scream — the sickly poison magic rushed out of her. Adriane and Kara’s magic flared, and Emily’s pure, blue-green magic suddenly rushed to meet it. The poison rushed briefly up Kara’s and Adriane’s arms, briefly tightening around their hearts. They held it a moment, hissing in a chorus of pain. Then, like a healer, they erased it. The pain dulled to an ache, and then faded. Emily slumped forward.

Her hands were still in Kara’s and Adriane’s. But she wasn’t trying to let go anymore.

On her wrist, her healing stone glowed a vibrant, brilliant blue-green. Clean and clear once more.

Emily started to shake. When she lifted her eyes, they were full of tears — but they were clear again. Hazel and bright and without any of the poison in them anymore.

“A-Adriane?” she mumbled. “Kara? W...where...how did I...?”

Then tears flooded her eyes. She gasped, and she squeezed her eyes shut, hunching forward.

Kara moved first, finally letting go of Emily’s hand so that she could hug her. Adriane was only seconds behind. The pair of them squeezed Emily together in a huge hug as Emily began to cry. For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, slowly, she slid her arms around the two of them, holding them close.

She was trying to say something, but her throat was too choked. She was shaking too hard.

“Sh, it’s okay,” Kara said, stroking her hair. “You’re back.”

“We’re here now,” Adriane said. “We’re not going away. We’re not going to leave you alone.”

Emily’s hands tightened into their backs, and for just a moment, Kara felt like their minds were linked up again. She felt Emily’s sadness, the pain that they couldn’t take away from her. But there was a relief, too. A release, as she sunk into the arms of her friends, and for the first time in who knew how long, cried.

There was still a battle to be fought, and a war to be won. There were still threads to be dealt with, and emotions to work through. But for this time alone, not one of the three moved, or thought any further than this moment.

For just this moment, this was all the world needed to be.


End file.
